Highly Efficient Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 Z-Scheme Photocatalyst for Its Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance in Degradation of Rhodamine B and Phenol

Mingxi Zhang; Hanxiao Du; Juan Ji; Fengfeng Li; Y C Lin; Chenwei Qin; Ze Zhang; Yi Shen

doi:10.3390/molecules26072062

Highly Efficient Ag₃PO₄/g-C₃N₄ Z-Scheme Photocatalyst for Its Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance in Degradation of Rhodamine B and Phenol

Molecules. 2021 Apr 3;26(7):2062. doi: 10.3390/molecules26072062.

Authors

Mingxi Zhang^{1

2}, Hanxiao Du², Juan Ji², Fengfeng Li², Y C Lin^{1

3}, Chenwei Qin², Ze Zhang², Yi Shen²

Affiliations

¹ Light Alloy Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China.
² Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nonmetallic Materials Hebei Province, College of Materials Science and Engineering, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan 063210, China.
³ School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China.

Abstract

Ag₃PO₄/g-C₃N₄ heterojunctions, with different g-C₃N₄ dosages, were synthesized using an in situ deposition method, and the photocatalytic performance of g-C₃N₄/Ag₃PO₄ heterojunctions was studied under simulated sunlight conditions. The results revealed that Ag₃PO₄/g-C₃N₄ exhibited excellent photocatalytic degradation activity for rhodamine B (Rh B) and phenol under the same light conditions. When the dosage of g-C₃N₄ was 30%, the degradation rate of Rh B at 9 min and phenol at 30 min was found to be 99.4% and 97.3%, respectively. After five cycles of the degradation experiment for Rh B, g-C₃N₄/Ag₃PO₄ still demonstrated stable photodegradation characteristics. The significant improvement in the photocatalytic activity and stability of g-C₃N₄/Ag₃PO₄ was attributed to the rapid charge separation between g-C₃N₄ and Ag₃PO₄ during the Z-scheme charge transfer and recombination process.

Keywords: Ag3PO4; Z-scheme mechanism; g-C3N4; semiconductor photocatalyst.

Grants and funding

51772099, 51872091/National Natural Science Fund of China